Expand North Star 2023 begins on a positive note at Dubai Harbour
Event features innovations in robotics, AI, and entrepreneurship
Expand North Star, the largest event in the world for startups and investors, began on October 15, 2023, at Dubai Harbour, uniting startup founders, VCs, tech leaders and ecosystem enablers from across the globe.
Running from October 15-18, 2023, as a co-event of GITEX Global (October 16-20, 2023) at Dubai World Trade Centre, Expand North Star 2023 features 1,800+ startups from 100+ countries and 1,000+ investors with more than AED3.68 billion ($1 trillion) under management.
Featuring the latest innovations in robotics, AI, and entrepreneurship, one of the event’s highlights was the first live stage demonstration of Artemis, the world’s fastest-walking humanoid robot, developed by UCLA researchers.
Artemis can walk on any terrain using custom-designed actuators that mimic biological muscles, unlike most robots with rigid, position-controlled actuators. The humanoid robot stands at 4 feet, 8 inches and weighs 38.55kg. It can run and jump on rough, unstable surfaces with a speed of 2.1 m/s.
Soccer goal in mind
The developers’ goal is for an autonomous soccer-playing robot team consisting of an Artemis model to be able to defeat a human world championship soccer team by 2050.
Dr Dennis Hong, the visionary behind Artemis, explained that the key behind Artemis’ excellent balance while walking on uneven terrain and its ability to run was getting both feet off the ground while in motion, a revolutionary feat for robots.
Day one of Expand North Star 2023 also featured YouthX Unipreneur, the most extensive youth entrepreneurship programme in the Middle East and Africa region, one that inspires students to become the chief architects of the future.
The programme attracted 1,500+ students from 40+ regional schools and universities, who pitched their innovations to a panel of experts.
Hassan Sabt, President of Dubai Youth Council, highlighted Expand North Star 2023’s significance as a platform for young investors and startups to learn from global industry leaders, compete in live events, share ideas and develop leadership skills.
Youth focus
Sabt said: “The Dubai Youth Council was founded to empower Emirati youth to take an active role and lead strategic industries. The platform also fosters connections while maximising efforts towards national and global goals. There is no better investment in a country than investing in youth.”
Another key session on day one of Expand North Star 2023 was a panel discussion on using artificial intelligence and machine learning to create products that positively impact the world.
The panel featured product managers from global unicorns such as Bolt, Reddit, and Booking.com, who shared their best practices and tips for startup founders. The panellists cautioned against falling for the AI hype.
The panellists said that adopting technology for its own sake with no added value is a sure way to fail as an entrepreneur. Technology, the audience heard, must solve an existing problem.
The speakers also warned that business owners must keep abreast of technological evolution as many paradigms have changed, affecting careers people thought were indestructible.
Featured image: Artemis, the humanoid robot developed by UCLA researchers, takes a shot at Expand North Star 2023. Image: DWTC
Last Updated on 11 months by Arnold Pinto
